


c.. TZg 

Bari f C Ta4 


GopigM?. 




COPYRIGHT DEPOSm 




# 


\ 







r-. 


I 


• 1 


^ , 1 


> ' 

' i . 


■ i 

■*1 1 - 


s 


/.* ■. i, 


' * 


, ' -Vf ^ 


% ' 




■X 


I 

‘ 


F ' a « 1 

' 'V' 

• t 




• / 


s 

'M 


»* 






I 


I 4 


I 


I j 


r.v 





% 


I- 



f 




/ 





I 


f 

4 

4 

t 


I 

>« 

.Vi 

i • 


t , 

I • 




I 





Frontispiece 



The Wish Fairy 

AND 


Dewy Dear 






ALICE ROSSTOLVER 


Illustrated 


0 


PHILADELPHIA 

HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY 



Copyright, 1922 
By Howard E. Altemus 


ftPR 24 1922 


©CI.A659722 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER ‘ PAGE 

I. Dewy Dear 7 

II. RoARABOUT AND WiSSELIT 17 

III. Twinkletoes 27 

IV. Silver Nose and Star 35 

V. Bumps 45 

VI. Black Face and White Face. . 53 



The Wish Fairy 

AND 

Dewy Dear 


CHAPTER I 

T he Wish Fairy stood on the 
tip-top branch of a small 
Christmas tree and looked about 
her. Below her and above her 
were grouped all the beasts and 
birds of the great Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest, and on the face 
of each was seen worry and dis- 
tress. 

‘‘Well, what is it?’' the Wish 
Fairy asked. 

“It’s the dryness,” King Lion . 


7 


said. “We’re nearly dead of thirst. 
I can’t speak above a whisper. 
The pools are dried up, and if we 
don’t have rain soon the forest will 
be afire and there’ll be no way to 
put it out.” 

The Wish Fairy looked worried. 

“Can’t you wish for the rain to 
come?” Mr. Elephant asked. 

The Wish Fairy shook her head. 

“I have no power over the ele- 
ments,” she said. “I cannot make 
it rain or stop raining.” 

“Who can?” asked the duck. 
“My feet are sore from walking on 
dry land.” 

“I can visit the Cloud King- 
dom,” the Wish Fairy said doubt- 
fully, “and ask — ” 

“Oh! Then hurry! Hurry!” 
they all cried together. 

So the Wish Fairy summoned 
the eagle to her. He was allowed 
to take the last drink from the last 


8 


1 



9 





pool of water before he started on 
his long journey to the Cloud 
Kingdom with the Wish Fairy 
tucked deep in the hollow of his 
back. Then, amidst shouts and 
wavings of tails and wings, up they 
flew; up above the tree tops; up 
above the forest; up — up — up — 
till little Miss Wish Fairy shut her 
eyes to keep out the glare of the 
sun and the sky. 

All day long they travelled up — 
up — up — with great strong sweeps 
of the eagle's wings. By late after- 
noon the eagle was breathless and 
weary. 

‘T see no clouds!" he quavered. 
“What shall I do?" 

“Fly toward the sunset," the 
Wish Fairy said. “You'll find 
some there." 

So the eagle turned and flew 
straight toward the red, red ball 
that was almost ready to drop be- 


10 


hind the mountains. It was out 
of sight before he reached it, and, 
sure enough, just as it disappeared, 
a great big white puffy cloud 
popped its head up over the edge 
of the world. It was colored in 
wonderful colors; mostly shades of 
pink and orange and purple and 
red, but by the time the weary 
eagle had reached it, the color had 
faded and it was just a thick gray 
and white heap. 

The eagle tumbled down in it 
and rested on its edge. Miss Wish 
Fairy hopped off his back and 
made her way straight to the 
centre of the cloud. Here she saw 
dimly through the mist, seated on 
his throne, the King of the Clouds, 
and about him were his gray-clad 
Rain Fairies. They all stopped 
their dancing and prancing to the 
soft musical sound of raindrops, as 
the Wish Fairy came near, and 


11 


stood in silence while she bowed 
before the King. 

“Greetings! Oh, King!” she 
cried sweetly. “Greetings to the 
Cloud Kingdom from the Sunshine 
and Shadow Forest. I come to 
ask a favor. My land and my peo- 
ple are nigh dead with thirst, for 
not a drop of rain has come to 
them for weeks. We fear fire and 
death. Will it not be possible for 
one of your subjects to come back 
with me to the Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest and have power to 
call down the rain that is so sorely 
needed?” 

She waited in silence for his 
answer, and at last it came. 

“Greetings! Lady Wish Fairy! 
Greetings to the Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest from the great 
Cloud Kingdom. We have been 
aware of your distress, but the 
world is a big place and we are out 


12 


of clouds. I shall be glad to let 
you take back with you Dewy 
Dear, who shall have power to call 
down the rain that is needed. She 
shall take a corner of this cloud 
with her, which will relieve you for 
the present, but I would suggest 
that you visit King Wind. He has 
been lazy lately and has blown so 
few clouds that there is thirst all 
over the earth. He is a kind- 
hearted king and will help you, I 
feel sure, when he knows how 
greatly his help is needed.” 

‘‘My thanks, oh. King,” the 
Wish Fairy said. “My thanks. 
And now we will be on our way, 
for we must hasten back ere it is 
too late.” 

“Dewy Dear!” the King called. 
And from the midst of the fairies 
came a dainty little figure. She 
was dressed in gray, and her soft 
gown dropped shining drops of 


13 


water with a soft musical patter 
as she ran. - At the edge of the 
cloud she stooped and tore a big 
armful of the soft stuff loose. 
Then she jumped up on the eagle's 
back behind the Wish Fairy and 
sat very still. 

It was night when they saw the 
Sunshine and Shadow Forest be- 
low them. By the clear light of 
the white moon it lay black and 
silent and breathless. Suddenly 
Dewy Dear stood up. 

‘T shall jump off here,” she 
said. “You hasten home. I shall 
come later.” 

So she jumped off, with the 
cloud in her arms, and hovered 
there in the air until she saw the 
eagle sink out of sight in the tree 
tops. Then she began shaking her 
armful of cloud. And she shook 
and shook, and a gentle rain pat- 
tered down, and she kept on shak- 


14 



15 



ing until the cloud had quite dis- 
appeared in a veil of rain. As the 
last shred of cloud left her fingers 
little Dewy Dear hopped on the 
gray curtain that was streaming to 
earth, and slid down until she 
landed at the door of the toadstool 
cottage where little Miss Wish 
Fairy was waiting for her. 


16 


CHAPTER II 

TN the morning Miss Wish Fairy 
and Dewy Dear went on a tour 
of inspection through the forest. 
They found that the rain the night 
before had helped a little, but the 
earth was so dry that most of it 
had soaked deep into the ground, 
and the pools had only a little 
water in them. Many baby ani- 
mals and old-folk animals were 
dying, and the Wish Fairy shook 
her head sadly. 

“Hadn’t you better go see King 
Wind?” Dewy Dear suggested. 
“This is awful. Look how those 
poor pussies and doggies pant. I 
can call down rain if you can get 
King Wind to bring the clouds 
here.” 

2 — Wish Fairy and Dewy Dear 

17 


So the Wish Fairy summoned 
the eagle again. But he was too 
worn and weary to travel that day, 
so the Wish Fairy sent for the 
hawk instead; and on his back she 
rose up and started for the sky. 

Up in the air they circled slowly 
until the Wish Fairy saw far off in 
the distance the Highest Moun- 
tain; then like an arrow the hawk 
flew straight for it. All day they 
travelled, and, at sunset time, 
they reached the cave on the 
Highest Mountain where dwelt 
King Wind and all his subjects. 
As the hawk lit before the mouth 
of the cave. Miss Wish Fairy heard 
a great noise coming from it. She 
flew ofl* the hawk’s back and was 
blown flat against a rock. 

“Oh, mercy!” she cried to her- 
self. “How can I ever get into the 
cave against that wind?” 

Then she crept along on her 


18 



19 



hands and knees, and finally made 
her way into the dark cavern. At 
one end gleamed a light and toward 
this she made her way. Slowly, 
inch by inch, she crept through the 
darkness of the cavern until at 
last she found herself passing 
through an opening into a great 
stone-walled room where the light 
was. 

At first she couldn’t think, be- 
cause there was such a noise all 
the time; whispering winds; and 
rushing winds; whistling winds and 
summery soft breezes; and, flying 
about through the air and capering 
about on the floor, were all King 
Wind’s subjects. 

Miss Wish Fairy was so small 
that no one saw her make her way 
across the great room to the dark 
throne where King Wind, big and 
red and blowy, sat lazily smoking a 
pipe. He was watching the smoke 


20 


blow hither and yon in curls and 
rings and tails wherever his lively 
little wind-servants puffed them, 
and he was smiling. 

“Greetings! Oh, King!’' said 
the Wish Fairy as loud as she 
could. 

King Wind sat up straight and 
dropped his pipe with a crash to 
the hard floor. All the wee wind 
fairies stopped their antics and 
the silence was very sudden and 
strange. 

“Bless my soul!” he boomed out, 
and in the hush of all the winds 
his voice echoed and banged 
against the walls. “Bless my 
soul! Who are you?” 

“I’m the guardian of all the 
birds and beasts in the Sunshine 
and Shadow Forest, oh. King! 
And I come beseeching your help.” 

“All righty,” said King Wind as 
he slapped his big knees and puffed 


21 


out a big breath that 'most blew 
the Wish Fairy over. “What can 
I do for you?" 

“Do please come out into the 
world, oh, King! and see how 
badly we need rain. There has 
scarcely been a cloud in the sky for 
weeks and my birds and beasts are 
dying." 

“Bless my soul!" King Wind 
cried again. “Well, now, that's 
too bad. To tell you the truth we 
have been having a jubilee here. 
It's been my millionth birthday, 
and we've feasted and frolicked 
and danced for days." 

“Please, oh. King! Will you do 
as the King of the Cloud Kingdom 
did?" the Wish Fairy asked ear- 
nestly. “He sent home with me 
last night one of his subjects with 
power to call down the rain from 
the clouds whenever it is sorely 
needed. But there are no clouds. 


22 





Could you not spare one of your 
subjects to stay with us and let 
him blow up some clouds for us 
now and then?’' 

King Wind stroked his red face 
a minute and thought deeply. 

“No, Miss Wish Fairy. I’m 
right sorry. I couldn’t.” 

“Oh!” Miss Wish Fairy nearly 
cried with disappointment and 
weariness, and her voice was very 
sad. 

“But,” King Wind went on, and 
suddenly several jolly dimples ap- 
peared in his cheeks, “I could 
spare you two; then neither of 
them would be lonely.” 

“Oh!” said little Miss Wish 
Fairy in such a happy voice. 

“Roarabout and Wisselit!” King 
Wind boomed. And down from 
the air came somersaulting two 
fat, jolly, brown-clad fairies with 
big wings and rosy cheeks and 


24 


popping brown eyes and little caps 
fitting close to their heads. 

“Blow Miss Wish Fairy home in 
a twinkle and hustle up a few 
clouds on the way, and then be- 
have yourselves, if you can, while 
you stay in the Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest.'' 

Roarabout and Wisselit touched 
their tight round brown caps with 
their hands; kicked up their heels 
and rushed at little Miss Wish 
Fairy. 

In a twinkle she was caught up 
in their strong arms and woofed 
out of the big room, down through 
the cave, and out on to the wait- 
ing hawk's back. In another 
twinkle the hawk spread his wings 
and with Roarabout and Wisselit 
behind him he just sailed down to 
earth and the Sunshine and Shadow 
Forest before it was dark. 

No sooner had they landed than 


25 


they looked up and saw big clouds 
scudding over the blue sky and, 
while Miss Wish Fairy stood with 
face uplifted, great patters of rain 
came down and she hurried for the 
toadstool cottage. 

And there, if you please, right 
on her doorstep, sat the jolly little 
wind twins, Roarabout and Wis- 
selit, and they were hugging their 
knees and watching Dewy Dear, 
who was out in the wet calling 
down the rain with her magic 
wand. 


26 


CHAPTER III 

TT rained all that night, and all 
the next day, and all the next 
night, and all the next day, and, 
by and by, the beasts and birds 
gathered about the Wish Fairy’s 
cottage in terror. 

“Thank you very much. Miss 
Wish Fairy,” King Lion said. 
“We’ve had enough. Please turn 
it off.” 

Miss Wish Fairy stood in her 
doorway and shook her head. 

“I can’t. Dewy Dear!” she 
called. 

Dewy Dear came running 
through the mist and the rain, but 
when she heard of the trouble she 
too shook her head. 

“I can’t,” she said. “I can only 


27 


call the rain down. I can’t send it 
up. Call the wind twins and tell 
them to stop blowing clouds.” 

Poor Miss Wish Fairy sighed. 

“It’s a great responsibility to be 
a ruler,” she thought. “I’ve got 
myself in a peck o’ trouble!” But 
she called bravely, “Roarabout and 
Wisselit!” 

And down through the tree tops 
came tumbling and giggling the 
twins. 

“But we’ve blown enough clouds 
to last a month!” they shouted 
when they heard of the trouble. 
“We thought we’d do a good job.” 

Miss Wish Fairy was in dismay. 
If it rained a month everything 
and everybody would be drowned. 
Whatever should she do? As she 
was wondering. Dewy Dear slipped 
up to her and said with grave face: 

“I shall tell you a secret. I 
have to or I wouldn’t. The only 


28 


0 




29 


thing that is strong enough to stop 
the rain is the sun. You will have 
to visit the great Sun King and 
ask him to shine through the bank 
of clouds that those foolish boys 
have blown up.’' 

“Of course!” the Wish Fairy 
sighed. “Fm tired, and my travel- 
ling dress is wrinkled and it will 
get soaked, but I shall have to go 
just the same.” 

So she summoned the eagle 
again, and once on his back she 
wrapped a big leaf about her to 
keep the rain off and held a toad- 
stool for an umbrella over her 
head, and up — up — up they went. 

Finally their heads touched the 
clouds and into the dampness the 
eagle went, beating his way 
through the thick air with his 
great strong wings. Up — up — up 
until the rain became mist and the 
mist became fog and -the fog dis- 


30 


appeared. And lo! They were 
above the clouds and in the Realm 
of Sunshine. 

Miss Wish Fairy threw off her 
raincoat, and on foot made her 
way to the dazzling gold throne 
where sat the Sun King. On his 
head sparkled a crown that flashed 
brilliant gold light. In his hand 
he held a sceptre from the tip of 
which sunbeams danced in golden 
streams about the floor. And on 
the steps of his throne were 
grouped beautiful little sun fairies, 
all clad in yellow and all smiling, 
and all with golden hair and eyes 
as blue as the skies on a sunny day. 

Miss Wish Fairy thought she 
had never seen anything so beauti- 
ful. She made her way to the 
throne and dropped on one knee, 
and, at the Sun King's gentle re- 
quest, she told the story of her 
troubles. 


31 


“Hum!’' said the wise old Sun 
King when she had finished. 
“King Wind was foolish to send 
two such youngsters as Roarabout 
and Wisselit. I know them. They 
are always up to tricks. Yes, I 
think I shall have to spare you 
little Twinkletoes. She can keep 
those wind twins in order, and she 
is active enough to dance her way 
through any clouds, I don’t care 
how thick they are.” 

So Twinkletoes was summoned, 
and as she came forward Miss 
Wish Fairy was nearly blinded. 
She danced along waving her wand 
like a flashing sunbeam, and her 
smile was so bright and her breath 
so warm and her gown and hair so 
golden, that Miss Wish Fairy was 
sure the clouds would vanish be- 
fore her. 

And sure enough they did. For 
when they had mounted on the 


32 



3 — Wish Fairy and Dezi'y Dear 


33 


back of the eagle that was to take 
them back to the Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest, and had neared 
the mist and the fog and the rain, 
Twinkletoes hopped off and began 
to dance about on the clouds. 
And as she danced her twinkling 
toes made a rift, and through it a 
sunbeam shot from the tip of her 
wand; and the rift grew wider and 
wider until it was wide enough for 
the eagle to pass through. Then 
Twinkletoes hopped on his back 
again, and, while on their way down 
to the Sunshine and Shadow Forest, 
she kept her wand pointed straight 
at the clouds, and from it blazed 
such a glory of warm sunshine that, 
by the time they reached the 
ground, the clouds had all vanished, 
and the rain had stopped entirely, 
and all the beasts and birds of the 
Sunshine and Shadow Forest 
greeted her with joyous shouts. 


34 


CHAPTER IV 

^ I “^HE Wish Fairy was stretched 
^ out in her cobweb hammock 
resting. Near her, perched on a 
toadstool, sat the Little Fairy 
That Knew It All. 

“Well,'' sighed the Wish Fairy, 
“I do hope things are running 
smoothly at last. First we had no 
rain, then wehadtoomuch. I should 
think, with Dewy Dear, and Roar- 
about and Wisselit, and Twinkle- 
toes to regulate the weather, we 
should all be happy. We have 
been for a month or so now." 

“Well, we're not any more!" the 
Little Fairy That Knew It All re- 
marked. “Those wind twins are 
mischief makers. Here come some 
folks to tell you so." 


35 


The Wish Fairy sat up and 
looked. Sure enough, down 
through a shaded path in the 
woods marched a solemn proces- 
sion. First came the peacock with 
his head indignantly high and his 
tail feathers all ruffled crooked; 
then came little Miss Bunnie Rab- 
bit with the remains of her bonnet 
over her ear; then came Mr. and 
Mrs. Robin with tears running 
down their bills; and Mr. Rattle- 
snake and Mr. and Mrs. Duck and 
a great many others. They made 
a big circle about the Wish Fairy’s 
hammock and sat down. Then 
Mr. Peacock spoke: 

“Miss Wish Fairy, we love 
Dewy Dear and Twinkletoes, but 
we do not love Roarabout and 
Wisselit. They are monkey-mis- 
chief makers and they are causing 
great annoyance and sorrow. For 
myself they have blown my bee- 


36 



37 




yootiful tail feathers into a hor- 
rible tangle, and Miss Pussy Foot 
will have to comb them out with 
her sharp claws. You can see for 
yourself what a mess Fm in.” 

He turned himself about slowly 
and sadly and sat down. Miss 
Bunnie Rabbit rose: 

“And my bonnet is blown to 
bits.” She cocked one ear on 
which a leaf and a violet and a 
piece of grass still clung. “And 
this is the sixth Fve made. Fm 
worn out and mad as a March 
hare.” Her fat sides puffed out in 
honest anger as she spoke. 

Mr. and Mrs. Robin rose: 

“They have done worse to us 
than to all the others. They blew 
our home from its tree and all our 
would-be family was smashed to 
bits and little pieces.” 

Mr. Rattlesnake reared up his 
head and rattled a warning: 


38 


“They’ve blown sand over my 
hole ninety-seven times/’ he said 
briefly. 

Mr. and Mrs. Duck waddled 
forward : 

“They blew up such big waves in 
the still pool that we can’t teach 
our children to swim, and they 
act like silly chickens in the water.” 

One by one they all made their 
complaint, and the poor little Wish 
Fairy’s face grew sadder and sad- 
der. At the end she waved them 
away. 

“I must think,” she said, “what 
is best to do.” 

When they were gone Twinkle- 
toes danced to her and Dewy Dear 
slipped up quietly. 

“We think we know what is 
best to do,” they said softly. “Go 
visit Jack Frost and ask him to 
send a frost fairy here. He could 
keep those wind twins in order!” 


39 


“I believe you’re right,” said 
the Wish Fairy, and straightway 
she rose from the hammock and 
made for the twinkling stream. 
She followed its singing, winding 
way swiftly on wing, and at last 
came to a cool cavern, deep and 
dark, which sunny Twinkletoes 
could never penetrate. She 
wrapped a warm leaf about herself 
and entered. 

At its far end she came to 
a white room, all lit up with a 
frosty radiance. In the air was a 
silver tinkling sound like crack- 
lings and snappings. From the 
rocky ceiling hung icicles and star- 
shaped snowflakes, and the floor 
was a warm carpet of snow cut 
in half by the winding stream 
that was frozen into solid ice. In 
the distance sat Jack Frost on his 
sparkling throne of snow and ice. 
He was dressed completely in white 


40 


4 



41 



as were all the inhabitants of the 
Winter Kingdom, and his crown 
was capped with snow, and an icicle 
flashed from his wand, and the 
only warm spots in the whole 
white cave were sprigs of bright 
red and green holly. 

“Greetings!” said Miss Wish 
Fairy, bowing low before Jack 
Frost. And all the whirling tink- 
ling snow fairies stopped their 
dancing to listen as she told her 
tale. At the end of it Jack Frost 
nodded his head. 

“I often have trouble with Roar- 
about and Wisselit,” he said. 
“They think they’re the strongest 
of the weather fairies. I shall send 
two of my subjects back with you 
to put them in their proper places.” 

So he summoned a Frost Fairy 
and a Snow Fairy. Silver Nose 
was the frost fairy and was so 
named because his nose was an 


42 


icicle! Star was the snow fairy, 
and was so named because her 
dress was made of star-shaped 
snowflakes, and on her forehead 
gleamed one perfect one. Miss 
Wish Fairy thanked Jack Frost, 
and with her two companions 
started back for the Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest. 

It was dark when they reached 
it, and at its edge Silver Nose and 
Star parted from the Wish Fairy. 

“I hear Roarabout and Wis- 
selit,” said Silver Nose. ‘‘Star and 
I will each of us go a difl*erent 
way and capture them, and by 
morning they will be harmless.'' 

So Miss Wish Fairy went home 
to her toadstool cottage and went 
to bed. 

In the morning when she waked 
she went to the window and looked 
out, and what do you think? 

The whole Sunshine and Shadow 


43 


Forest had been touched lightly by 
Star and Silver Nose in the night, 
and on the ground was a fine 
sprinkle of white stars and in the 
stream was a thin coating of silver, 
ice. But the most amazing thing 
was the sight of Roarabout and 
Wisselit huddled close together at 
her feet on the doorstep, with frost- 
bitten noses and ears and toes. 

They lifted their heads as she 
stood above them. 

“Please, Miss Wish Fairy,’' 
they whispered, “let us come in 
and get warm. We’ll be good for 
as long as we can — honest.” 


44 


CHAPTER V 

O F course Roarabout and Wis- 
selit could not keep quiet long, 
but with Star and Silver Nose in 
the Sunshine and Shadow Forest 
they did not dare play any tricks. 
They went about their business of 
blowing up snowstorms, and came 
home at nightfall out of breath and 
very tired. But if they so much 
as tried any funny stunts Silver 
Nose and Star got after them and 
nipped their noses and toes. 

So the winter passed peacefully 
for all the inhabitants of the great 
Sunshine and Shadow Forest. But 
with the coming of warm days Sil- 
ver Nose and Star lost their energy, 
and their nips did not bother Roar- 
about and Wisselit so much. 


45 


‘‘Ha! Ha!” they whispered. 
“Pretty soon Silver Nose and Star 
will have to go back to their home, 
and we will be free to have some 
fun again!” 

So they plotted and planned, 
while Silver Nose and Star went 
about saying goodbye to everyone 
in the forest. All were sorry to 
see the faithful little fairies depart 
and Mr. and Mrs. Robin wept big 
tears. 

“There will be no one to save 
our home and egg-babies,” they 
said. “What shall we do? Last 
year we tried to have a family 
three times, and each time Roar- 
about and Wisselit upset our plans 
and our nests.” 

But Silver Nose and Star told 
them not to worry. Miss Wish 
Fairy would manag-e it, and they 
went last of all to her to say good- 
bye, and told her a secret. Miss 


46 



47 




Wish Fairy listened soberly, and 
at last nodded with a smile. 

‘‘Your cousins will come? Can 
they manage Roarabout and Wis- 
selit? Oh, all right then. And 
they'll stay until — " she finished 
in a whisper. 

Silver Nose and Star said “yes" 
and then waved their last good- 
byes and slipped away along the 
icy stream that was beginning to 
tinkle and gurgle under its frail 
covering of ice. Once Silver Nose 
broke through the thin ice and 
Star had to pull him out. But at 
last they reached the cool mouth of 
the cave where they, had their 
home and disappeared. 

Then Roarabout and Wisselit 
looked about in glee. 

“Whoopla!" they shouted. 
“We'll have some fun!" 

And they blew little bits of 
sticks and dirt into Little Baby 


48 


Reindeer’s brown eyes; and they 
blew down a whole branch of a 
tree where Mr. and Mrs. Robin 
had begun to build their nest; and 
they blew up big waves in the still 
pool that washed down the Beaver 
Boy’s carefully built house of 
sticks; and everybody grew cross 
and tearful. 

At last Miss Wish Fairy came to 
the rescue. 

“Boys!” she cried sternly. “It’s 
time to quit this nonsense. Up 
you go now and blow up a few 
clouds. We want a nice Spring 
rain to start the flowers and grass 
to growing.” 

Grinning and giggling the wind 
twins whisked up in the air very 
much pleased with themselves, and 
the Wish Fairy watched them 
anxiously. Suppose Silver Nose’s 
cousins shouldn’t come? 

But they did. 

4 — Wish Fairy and Dewy Dear 


49 


And who do you think they 
were ? 

Well, when the twins had blown 
up clouds and Dewy Dear had 
called down the rain, lo and be- 
hold! The rain froze, on its way 
down into sleet and hail, and 
banged and bumped on Wisselit's 
and Roarabout's heads until they 
hollered for help and ran whimper- 
ing to shelter. 

No sooner had they crawled un- 
der the overhanging roof on the 
Wish Fairy’s doorstep than there 
stood before them a funny-looking 
figure. 

His head was a round bump. 
His shoulders were bumpy. His 
feet ended in bumps, and his 
hands were doubled up into balls 
of bumps, and he was gray and 
hard and cold. 

“Now then, youngsters,” he 
said, and his gray whiskers shook 


50 





51 


as he talked, “you’ll have to be- 
have yourselves a while longer. 
IVe got something that will make 
you.’’ 

And Bumps, the Hail Fairy, 
suddenly threw a handful of hard 
stones down on the frightened 
wind twins that made them duck 
and run while Miss Wish Fairy 
giggled from her window. 


52 


CHAPTER VI 

‘'TJUT whatever we will do when 
summer comes, and it is too 
warm for Bumps to stay with us, 
I don’t know,” Miss Wish Fairy 
sighed to Dewy Dear and Twinkle- 
toes. ‘‘Those wind twins know 
Bumps will leave us soon and al- 
ready they are planning all sorts of 
naughty mischief.” 

And sure enough it was as the 
Wish Fairy said. Bumps left 
the Sunshine and Shadow Forest 
after a few weeks and Roarabout 
and Wisselit were free to play all 
sorts of pranks again. 

King Lion finally came to the 
Wish Fairy to consult with her. 

“Wouldn’t it be possible to ask 
King Wind to exchange those 


53 


boisterous boys for others?” he 
asked anxiously. “There'll be a 
fight in the Sunshine and Shadow 
Forest soon. The twins are teach- 
ing the beasts to believe it was 
others that did the mischief and 
not themselves. Mr. Monkey is 
getting blamed for lots of things 
and he's nearly - cross enough to 
bite.'' 

Miss Wish Fairy sighed. 

“I shouldn't dare try,” she 
sighed. '‘King Wind might get 
angry and not let us have any- 
body, and Roarabout and Wisselit 
are better than nobody. Besides 
I have an idea that none are any 
better than these two. They're all 
mischievous.” 

“But we must have something 
to protect us in the Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest,” said King Lion as 
he scratched his head in thought. 

Just then Dewy Dear slipped up. 


54 



O 

oo^ cP 





I 




I 


“I know,” she said quietly. *'1 
know just what to do. If you will 
go with me on the eagle's back to 
my home in the Cloud Kingdom I 
think I might be able to arrange 
something.” 

The Wish Fairy was only too 
glad to do so, and off they started. 
With Dewy Dear guiding them on 
their way, it did not take them 
long to make the trip, and before 
many hours they stood before the 
stern gray King of the Cloud 
Kingdom. 

“Is Dewy Dear not doing her 
work well?” he asked at once. 

“Oh, perfectly,” Miss Wish 
Fairy hastened to say. “She is, in 
fact, the best worker we have. 
She and Twinkletoes. We all love 
them both. But there is another 
reason why we came back. You 
tell. Dewy Dear.” 

So Dewy Dear told and then 


56 


nodded significantly toward a door 
in the wall behind the King. 

“Perhaps so/' he said. “I do 
not like to let them loose, but — it 
may be best." 

He clapped his hands and, at the 
sound, the door behind him flew 
open and out dashed two fairies. 
Miss Wish Fairy gasped. They 
looked queer and frightening. 

One was dressed all in black and 
her bare white arms and white 
face and white hair were startling 
in contrast. She kept something 
hidden in a fold of her dress, as she 
stood obediently before the king. 

The other was dressed all in 
black too, but his face and hands 
and hair were as black as night 
and his hands were huge. Miss 
Wish Fairy looked at his hands 
hanging at his sides and she shud- 
dered. 

“Go with Dewy Dear," the 


57 


Cloud King commanded, “and 
hide in a cave that she will show 
you, and come out only when she 
calls.” 

They nodded without a word 
and went with Miss Wish Fairy 
and Dewy Dear on the eagle’s 
back down to the Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest where all the beasts 
and birds stood waiting with many 
fresh grievances to relate. While 
they talked Dewy Dear and the 
two new fairies slipped out of sight. 

Miss Wish Fairy listened pa- 
tiently to the story of how Miss 
Pussy Foot had climbed to the 
tip-top branch of a tree and along 
came the wind twins and blew the 
tree down, almost breaking Miss 
Pussy Foot’s neck and legs; and 
she heard soberly how they had 
twisted vines about the giraffe’s 
long neck until he had almost 
choked to death; and how they had 


58 


tangled the underbrush so that 
ten wee chickabiddies could not 
get out and their mother had 
clucked herself into a fever in 
fright. 

Finally she summoned the wind 
twins. She could not keep them 
out of mischief, but she could send 
them about their business in the 
Sunshine and Shadow Forest and 
they were commanded to blow up 
a big storm. 

Soon great white clouds were 
piled up in the sky over the Sun- 
shine and Shadow Forest, darken- 
ing it and shutting out the sun. 
As the twins came roaring and 
whistling to earth again Dewy 
Dear stood out in the open and 
waved her wand. Immediately 
the clouds opened and the rain 
came down in sheets and the wind 
twins danced with glee. 

Silently then Dewy Dear ran 


59 


off to the cave, where she had hid- 
den Black Face and White Face, 
and summoned them to her side, 
and in haste they ran back to the 
place where the twins were whis- 
tling and twirling. 

At a signal from Dewy Dear, 
White Face suddenly darted for- 
ward and flashed out the thing 
hidden in her skirt. It crackled 
and snapped like a jagged streak 
of lightning, and then was hidden 
again in the fold of her black dress. 
But not before Roarabout and 
Wisselit had been half blinded by 
its light and had fallen stunned to 
the ground. 

There they lay, trembling and 
afraid to move, when suddenly 
Black Face ran forward and 
clapped his huge hands together 
three or four times. The noise 
was deafening as thunder, and the 
wind twins cowered shaking on 


60 





61 


s< 


the wet earth with their ears 
covered. 

At last Twinkletoes ran out and 
dismissed Black Face and White 
Face, and the wind twins rose from 
the ground scared and mild and 
subdued. Miss Wish Fairy from 
her window in the toadstool cot- 
tage saw them and came out. 

“You see, Roarabout and Wis- 
selit,” she said, “we must have law 
and order in the Sunshine and 
Shadow Forest and so long as you 
could not keep it yourselves we 
have secured fairy policemen who 
will see that you do keep it the 
whole year round.'’ 

The wind twins nodded quietly. 

“Yes, Ma'am,” they said. “We 
think p'raps we will remember to 
be good so long as Black Face and 
White Face and Bumps and Star 
and Silver Nose are here.'' 

And it was true. The seasons 


62 


rolled round and the fairies in the 
Sunshine and Shadow Forest did 
their tasks, and there was never 
any more trouble after that. So 
the beasts and birds thrived and 
little Miss Wish Fairy was happy. 

I think she deserved to be, don't 
you? 


63 


% 


< 

« 



n 




f • 


I 

1 

4 


I 


« 






I 


» 


1 


4 


j 


1 


» 


> 




4 


I 


t 


\ 


* 


I 


\ 


} 



I 



s 






t 



« 


% 


• < 


\ 




* 


I 


t 




t 



i 


i .t 



< 




I 


t 


A . 














’ V 




■ '%* 


. 




' . >■ f 


i' " V: '.V' ' V • , ^ 

.■ ..V ■ ■ V ^ ' ■■■ - '• ■ . ' --'VA 

': .■;■'. ^ ■ : V v'' ^ -'v - ' ■ ■ ‘ ' ■ • . , 'V'."«- 






K-:.. 


*• V 


t 


* < I - \ riV * ‘ ' • *' ' ,' ' 

■ .V,.;, 

■' ^ ■;- '/ ■ V:- 


' : iTf » ' A*.' 

^ * 'yi( • ‘ 



\ . ' 


4 * 





/ ' :• 



y 


r' ' 1 



.? *%' ( .* , 1 ' • 
^ * . '*• ^L-s I 

'', ■'■■ ■ • ' V *■ 

. -w ,,-v,J.J 


, Vf>. 




I 


' ' ' '/ 


* » » 


■ ' X 


i < 4 « 


. » , *■ • f' '* ,’* 

i .» , . • i' 


«• ••■' r' ^■•■^ '■ : - ■ • •-■ ' ~\' ■<i‘-'-' • . -'v ••»c.'^' ‘ e ■ wSa 

* ^ i*. CUX’ ' 'r> ..I IM.A _> . ir i/F ffWiSfli 


I / 


- '’• ■’. * 

>' , ■ *"■ 

■ - .■ -• f. 


♦ « 


s . 


... 


V - ^ 

*>’• 


' ' . > • -'il'w 

•: .:;VK^ 






/ , 


1 . • 

r i. 

,'-f ' 

: .\. 

1 










« 

^'l 
•fc .' 


I ■ 


/V * 


> t 


t * 



; v; :vv "-tife-rr 

■i.: . • , y y . , , . ; 


•■ • ‘ c ,• .:■• ' •. - * 

• <■.' V -'V W 

' ' f'. ' >C- ■:.£ 6 . 

r- .^'..■ _4d<!v .,Y • ♦J'-./'r 


^ r 



•• J'.*' . ^ ». , 

; . • , .V Kj. 

C-v’ : 

- . 


1 



